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Tiste Edur
The Tiste Edur were a non-human Elder Race,Deadhouse Gates, Glossary, UK MMPB p.938 also known as the Children of Shadow. They were the third of Mother Dark's offspring. Little is known of the early history of the Edur, but a group of Edur left Tiste lands led by Scabandari Bloodeye alongside some Tiste Andii who were led by Silchas Ruin. They eventually arrived at the continent later known as Lether. After fighting a brutal war with the K'Chain Che'Malle and subsequently betraying their Andii allies, the Edur settled in the north of the Letherii continent. Other Edur were said to have links with the Moranth of Genabackis (drawn to a fragment of Kurald Emurlahn in Moranth Forest). They were also found among the serving class on Sepik where they were known as Rulhun'tal ven'or (Mudskins). They were originally from Kurald Emurlahn which was also the name of their warren that granted them the use of its Elder magic. Appearance Edur were grey-skinned with brown hair and angular eyes (of varying colours). They were of a height with the other Tiste peoples (i.e. taller than humans), but of a more brutal cast. Of the Edur population of the Northern Lether sub-continent, their clothing was barbaric in appearance, made from hides from various animals, and decorated with fetishes, claws, bones, and seashells.Deadhouse Gates, Chapter 8, UK MMPB, p.335House of Chains, Chapter 3, UK MMPB, p.205House of Chains, Chapter 12, UK MMPB, p.520 In addition, they wore a wide belt upon which were placed marks indicating the number of victories they had achieved in battle.Midnight Tides, Chapter 1, UK HC, p.15 "The high cheekbones and angular eye sockets looked Tiste Andii, as did the man's evident height."Deadhouse Gates, UK TPB, p.336 "Tiste Edur. Grey-skinned, believed extinct - and thankfully so for it is a name sheathed in dread."Memories of Ice, UK TPB, p.325 “The four bodies were adorned in bone fetishes, claws, the canines of beasts and polished seashells. There was none of the fine Tiste Andii craftwork that Kulp had had occasion to see in the past. Moreover, all four were brown haired, the hair hanging loose and uncombed, stringy with grease.”Deadhouse Gates, Chapter 8, UK MMPB, p.335 “A ring of greyskinned warriors faced him. Taller than lowlanders, but still a head shorter than the Teblor. Curved sabres were scabbarded to their hips and much of their clothing was made of some kind of hide, short-haired, dark and glistening. Their long brown hair was intricately braided, hanging down to frame angular, multihued eyes.”House of Chains, Chapter 3, UK MMPB, p.205 “As tall as Darist, their skin a dusky pallor. Long brown hair, knotted and snarled with fetishes. Necklaces of claws and canines competed with the barbarity of their roughly tanned armour that was stitched with articulating strips of bronze. Their helmets, also bronze, were shaped like bear or wolf skulls. Among them there was nothing of the natural majesty evident in Darist – or in Anomander Rake. A far more brutal cast, these Edur. Tip heavy black bladed scimitars were in their hands, sealskin covered round shields on their forearms.”House of Chains, Chapter 12, UK MMPB, p.520 “on his wide belt was a row of twenty one red stained rivets, each one marking coup, and among those seven were ringed in white paint, to signify actual kills. Only his elder brother’s Sengar's belt sported more trophies.” - TrullMidnight Tides, Chapter 1, UK HC, p.15 “(Hanradi Khalag)’s elongated eyes widened slightly.”The Bonehunters, UK TPB, p.586 History Tiste Edur history was shrouded in myths and falsehoods; little that the Edur themselves knew of their history was the truth, twisted as it was by the Edur to cast themselves in a better light. What was known was that the Edur had come to the Malazan world under the command of Scabandari Bloodeye, along with a group of Tiste Andii under the command of Silchas Ruin, fleeing the sundering of Kurald Emurlahn and the wars among the Tiste which plagued Kurald Galain. Upon arriving in that world, they had warred with the K'Chain Che'Malle for dominance on the Letherii continent. They managed to annihilate the K'Chain Che'Malle but at a great cost; of the initial 400,000 Tiste Andii, only a thousand survived, and of 200,000 Edur, only 18,000 remained. The losses of the Tiste Andii were in large part due to the treacherous actions of Scabandari Bloodeye, who held back his Tiste Edur to ensure that as many Edur survived, and as few Tiste Andii as possible. After the battle, Scabandari was named Bloodeye by Silchas Ruin. In an act of betrayal, Bloodeye then stabbed and imprisoned Ruin within an Azath house, and the Edur turned upon the remaining Tiste Andii and slew them. This betrayal did not remain unanswered, the Elder Gods of the Malazan realm and the Eleint went to war against Scabandari Bloodeye, whose skull was crushed by Kilmandaros and his soul imprisoned in eternal agony. The Edur were then scattered and reduced to barbarism. The last bastion was on the Northern Letherii continent in the shadowed forests. The Edur themselves remembered a twisted version of this history, in which they were the ones betrayed, with the Andii having turned on them, and the Elder Gods then coming to persecute and scatter them. Little else was known of early Edur history, save for a sea-based conflict with the T'lan Imass, who had travelled with the Toblakai, who later became the Barghast. The resolution of this conflict was also unknown, with both sides' legends claiming victory. Edur nation The Edur nation was located on the Lether continent and consisted of six tribes: * Arapay * Beneda * Den-Ratha * Hiroth * Merude * Sollanta The Edur could field roughly 250,000 warriors. The Hiroth tribe had risen to power and subjugated the other Edur tribes under the leadership of Hannan Mosag, the Warlock King during the War of Unification. The Warlock King had taken the first-born sons of the chieftains from each of the tribes, stripped them of their names and bound them to him as his K'risnan. Both loyal servants and hostages, the K'risnan had powerful sorcery at their command and through them Hannan Mosag ruled the Edur. Later, Rhulad Sengar, through the machinations of the Crippled God became Emperor of the Tiste Edur. With the Warlock King as his servant, he then embarked on a campaign to conquer the Letherii Empire, which was successful. The Edur fleets then roamed the world ravaging the coastlines of neighbouring continents seeking champions to fight their seemingly immortal Emperor. Edur Religion The Edur religion was based on the worship of four Tiste soletaken Eleint: Scabandari Bloodeye (Father Shadow) and his three daughters: Menandore (Daughter Dawn), Sukul Ankhadu (Daughter of Deceit, Dapple), and Sheltatha Lore (Daughter Dusk). Scabandari led the Tiste Edur invasion of the Malazan world, but then disappeared from the Edur. Of the three daughters, Sheltatha Lore was the most revered, whereas Menandore seemed to be regarded as evil, and one to be feared. Sukul Ankhadu was regarded ambivalently, though not to be crossed. Due to the nature of the Eleint, it was unclear what relationship these four gods actually had with each other, and whether the three daughters were truly the daughters of Scanbandari Bloodeye was not known. Language For a list of known Tiste Edur words and phrases as well as translations please visit the Tiste Language page. Notes and references Collected quotes Category:Tiste Edur Category:Tiste races de:Tiste Edur pl:Tiste Edur